Tag Archives: camp values

Robert Fulghum wrote a great poem entitled “Everything I Need to Know, I Learned in Kindergarten.” Since so many campers and staff members often speak of all of the valuable things they learn at camp, we thought we’d do a tribute to Fulghum’s original poem, as well as to all present and former campers and staff members, with our own camp take on the classic…

Everything I Need to Know in Life…I didn’t learn in a classroom or in a book. I learned it at summer camp. I learned….

I can make good decisions for myself

Living with other people requires compromise.

Learning to say ‘I’m sorry”

Making my bed every day

Clean up my own mess

Don’t overpack!

Don’t take things that are not yours.

Write letters. People still love getting mail.

Trying new things is fun, even if they don’t turn out to be something you’d want to do everyday.

Sometimes being able to laugh at yourself is the best medicine.

Everyone should take the time to act silly —even grownups.

It’s okay not to be the best at something as long as you try really hard.

Just because you don’t succeed the first time, that doesn’t mean you should give up.

It’s not so hard to smile and say ‘hi’ to someone you don’t know.

New friends are great! Old friends are the best!

Traditions tie us to others forever, no matter where we are in the world or how much time has passed.

You have the power to choose whether you have a good day or a bad day. And even if your day doesn’t get off to such a great start, it doesn’t have to end that way.

No one wins all of the time. It’s what you take away from the game that matters.

Having a routine is a really good way to stay organized.

Words CAN be just as powerful as sticks and stones, so think about what you say to someone else before you say it.

Judging people by what they look like or what they wear won’t get you very far in life, and you might miss out on some great friendships because of it.

Cheering for others is just as fun as being cheered on.

Every great thing comes to an end. But the memories of it last a lifetime.